¹Simone Pascucci et al. (>10)
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70170]
¹Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis (IMAA)-Italian National Research Council (CNR), Tito Scalo, Italy
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Asteroid compositional analysis relies on comparing reflectance spectra with laboratory data from well-characterized meteorites. To advance this comparison, we performed a comprehensive laboratory analysis on a slab of the Northwest Africa (NWA) 7317—CR6 carbonaceous chondrite. We employed high-resolution Visible-Infrared (VIS-IR) imaging spectroscopy (0.4–5.1 μm) using the SPIM hyperspectral facility, integrated with high-spatial-resolution elemental mapping via SEM-EDS and EMPA-WDS. This multi-technique approach enabled the retrieval of surface composition at high spectral and spatial resolutions. Our results, supported by ICA/PCA and K-means classification methodologies, highlight the challenges of integrating VIS-IR spectroscopy and SEM/EMPA at the micrometer scale. While both techniques consistently infer an overall poikiloblastic/metamorphic texture dominated by an olivine and pyroxene-rich matrix, their combined use requires a critical approach for robust analysis. The absence of the 3 μm absorption band indicates high temperatures during thermal metamorphism on the NWA 7317 parent body. Although FeNi metallic alloys and Fe-sulfide inclusions contribute to the VIS-IR spectroscopic signal, they are not clearly distinguishable from each other. Furthermore, minor phases like plagioclase and chromite detected via SEM/EMPA are not plainly visible in the SPIM results. We review the potential of integrating these techniques to assess the petrography, mineralogy, and terrestrial weathering of NWA 7317.